This invention relates to an agricultural harvesting apparatus, and more particularly to a tobacco harvester.
Much of the tobacco harvesting is accomplished by manually cutting the stalks of the tobacco plants and manually impaling the stalks of the tobacco plants over preformed tobacco sticks or spikes. After a certain number of tobacco stalks are impaled upon a stick, such as six to ten stalks per stick, the loaded tobacco sticks are conveyed to a tobacco barn and suspended in rows for drying or curing.
There are prior tobacco harvesting machines adapted to automatically cut the tobacco stalks as the machine moves over the ground along a row of tobacco stalks and to support an operator who manually collects each stalk as it is cut and impales the stalk over a tobacco stick. The loaded tobacco sticks are discharged from the vehicle, or otherwise collected for transportation to the tobacco barns for curing. This type of tobacco harvester is illustrated in the U.S. Spratt et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,642.
The following U.S. patents disclose various types of tobacco harvesters having power-driven blades for cutting the tobacco stalks, and means for automatically impaling the stalks upon spears or tobacco sticks, U.S. Pat. Nos.:
______________________________________ 1,055,023 De Leon Mar. 4, 1913 1,090,747 Nunnelley Mar. 17, 1914 1,134,184 Cook Apr. 6, 1915 1,217,495 Pence Feb. 27, 1917 1,323,404 Motter et al Dec. 2, 1919 2,477,068 Motte July 26, 1949 2,836,950 Anderson June 3, 1958 2,923,116 Brown Feb. 2, 1960 3,059,401 Woods Oct. 23, 1962 3,079,744 Newswanger Mar. 5, 1963 3,347,030 Woods Oct. 17, 1967 3,593,506 Casada et al July 20, 1971 3,798,884 Middleton Mar. 26, 1974 3,855,762 Middleton Dec. 24, 1974 3,902,607 Middleton Sept. 2, 1975 ______________________________________
The Meyer U.S. Pat. No. 3,393,501 is an automatic agricultural harvesting machine for harvesting brussels sprouts.
The above Cook, Brown, Newswanger, and Meyer patents disclose various types of rotary vanes, blades, or fingers, for engaging the tobacco plant, or brussels sprouts plant, about the same time the plant is cut, for sustaining or moving the plant rearwardly. The vanes and fingers disclosed in Cook, Brown, Newswanger patents support the plant as it is being impaled upon the tobacco spear or stick.
The above Cook U.S. Pat. No. 1,134,184 (stick magazine 86), the Motter et al U.S. Pat. No. 1,323,404 (Lath hopper 160), the Anderson U.S. Pat. No. 2,836,905 (stick rack 146), the Brown U.S. Pat. No. 2,923,116 (tobacco stick magazine 48), the Casada et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,593,506 (magazine in FIG. 9), and the three Middleton U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,798,884, 3,855,762, and 3,902,607 (stick supplies 96 and 46), all disclose various types of tobacco stick magazines or receptacles, and various types of means for delivering one stick at a time into an impaling position.
The Newswanger U.S. Pat. No.3,079,744 (FIG. 4) discloses a manually operated, vertically swingable, stick holder 219 for ejecting a tobacco stick 216.
The Casada et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,593,506 (FIGS. 9 and 13) discloses a rotary ejector mechanism for raising a loaded tobacco stick vertically for removal.
The Middleton U.S. Pat. No. 3,798,884 discloses a loaded tobacco stick ejector mechanism 92 for elevating the loaded tobacco stick for ejection (FIG. 14).